Falling Upwards

Page 5 - The More Things Change

The truth is often hidden in plain sight but elicits fright when brought to light.

"This cannot be real!" 

"Is that Oliver Prince?"

"Pinch me. This has to be a dream." 

"Oh, how the mighty one has fallen." 

"You walked around the school like a king, now you are in retail." 

"The demon finally cast out from heaven, huh?" 

"It is funny seeing you here." 

"How amusing."

"The dreaded Oliver Prince works in a store?" 

The voices played over and over in his mind. The increased levels of scorn he faced on the first official day of his job pissed him off. He was almost driven to commit mass murder but refrained with a sigh. The novelty of seeing their king in such a lowly position was good for business, but such a novel sight was bound to become stale. 

That was what Oliver had hoped for. 

He was mistaken. 

The next day, even more people from school showed up and began their incessant chatter.

"Are all going to buy something?" Oliver shouted angrily to the twenty-or-so people in the store. That was the most significant number of people he had ever seen in the building to date, and something told him that it was just the beginning. 

 His shout caught their attention for a few seconds. For that brief period, the audience was thoroughly captivated. They were filled with dread, akin to a soldier remembering the details of unpleasant capture behind enemy lines. Suddenly, they slowly began to chatter again. 

The spell had been broken. 

They knew Oliver could not retaliate under expulsion and job termination threats. 

They won. 

They had the upper hand. 

Oliver Prince was no king. He was a caged animal, a feral beast waiting for its chance to pounce and destroy everything sacred. 

 Was that the true Oliver Prince? 

As Oliver's anger rose, the final nail in the coffin was hit. 

"I do not know how, but it seems like you are a customer magnet." The British voice of his boss, Alastor, chimed in. "With the amount of profit that I would be seeing, it is a shame you did not come here sooner." 

It started when a kid and his mother arrived at the store. The kid saw Oliver behind the counter and sneakily took a picture of him. That picture was then sent to a group chat, and the members therein spread it. 

Soon the entire school and beyond had some inkling of understanding of his situation. 

They knew they were immune to his wrath, so some payback was welcome. 

It was time to bite back at the hand holding them in a horrendously horrible vice-grip and chokehold for a long time. 

Yes, Oliver Prince was about to get his comeuppance. 

 The situation was reminiscent of a divine comedy, a just punishment. This was indeed a Shakespearian tragedy like no other. 

Honestly, future historians would look back at Oliver Prince and his fruitful 'kingdom' and laugh heartily. 

After the incident with the officer, Oliver Prince dealt with normal individuals. Those people either did not know who he was, regrettably or kept their mouths shut. Either way, the individuals he served yesterday were not as bad as the insufferable harpies he had to deal with today.